Broken Promises
by prettylittleliarlucy
Summary: With the events of the masquerade ball spiraling Aria and Ezra into the public spotlight, will the reappearance of an old nemesis destroy their love? Or, will they keep their promise. Bad summary, set after episode 2x25, please review!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One:**_

The incessant beeping of my alarm clock woke me from my sleep. As I rolled over and hit the stop button I groaned inwardly. It was the day of Maya's funeral and I was absolutely terrified of what was going to happen. It had been a month since they had first uncovered her body at Emily's house, and with all the media attention and speculation as to who could have killed her, I would have been glad to never step foot outside my house again.

Today wasn't about me though. Today was about Emily, and about supporting her and being there for her. As I walked into the shower I smiled to myself at the thought of seeing Ezra. Things had become more complicated since the masquerade ball, and I had become even more unsure of where we stood now, but I loved him. That much had always been obvious.

An hour later I was gazing at the entrance to the church, my memory taking me back to a similar time last year when it had been Alison's funeral. My trance was disturbed as I heard two pairs of footsteps approach, and I turned to face Spencer and Hanna. Hanna managed to give me a half-hearted smile, which was like a beacon of light in comparison to Spence's neutral expression.

We stood there for several moments before Spencer finally broke the silence, her voice sounding distant. "We should go and find Emily." Without bothering to hear our replies, she turned on her heel and walked through the large wooden doors into the all-too-familiar church.

As we walked, I listened to the countless people offering their condolences to Maya's parents - telling them what an amazing girl she was, and that she was taken far too young. My eyes searched for Emily and I found her sitting in the front row. Her head was down and her shoulders slumped, shaking with the sobs that refused to cease or slow down anytime soon.

I reached her first, and knelt by the chair, placing my hand gently on her shoulder. "Hey Em," I said softly as she turned to face me. Her eyes were puffy and red, and there was an obvious trail down her cheeks that her tears were following.

"Aria," she managed to choke out as she put her arms around me. I held her for several seconds before getting up and letting Spencer and Hanna through.

"Thanks for coming guys; it means a lot to me." Her crying had stopped momentarily, but I could see that it wouldn't last long. "I know none of you were really friends with her but…"

"Em, you loved her. And we love you. We are going to be here for you, for whatever you need." Spencer cut in and smiled for the first time today. Em simply nodded in reply and looked at the casket sitting a mere five metres away.

"Can you sit with me?" She asked as she looked back at the three of us, her eyes pleading.

"Of course," I reply as I take a seat next to her and intertwine my fingers with hers.

We sat like that, all of us holding hands, for the duration of the funeral. We released them only once when Emily was asked to say a few words. She barely made it through the first paragraph of her speech before she began crying again, and it was left to Maya's mum to finish it for her.

As I walked outside my eyes found Ezra, leaning against the side of his car and staring at me. I glanced around quickly before making my way over to the car park. Without hesitating I threw my arms around him, breathing in the smell of his cologne.

His arms were secure and gentle around me and I felt peaceful for the first time in a month. "Aria," his breath was hot in my ear as he loosened his grip from around me and took a step back. "How are you?"

It seemed like such a stupid question in light of everything that had happened, but coming from him it meant a lot to me. "Better now," I said as I stared into his eyes, allowing a small smile to touch the edge of my lips.

"Listen, Aria," He began, dropping his eyes from mine "We need to talk." Those four words are what every girl fears. A lump formed in my throat as I looked down at the ground. "Can you come by my apartment later?" He asked. My eyes found his again, however I was the first to look away this time as I simply nodded.

"I have to go. My mum and dad will be wondering where I've gone." Without glancing back I walked over to the entrance of the church, to where my mum and dad were waiting.

_**Authors note: **_Okay so this is a really short chapter, and is just sort of setting the scene for future chapters. Also, whilst this is an Ezria based story, it will be entirely about them. It will just tell the story of 'A' and the four liars from Aria's perspective…and yes Ezra will be in it a lot. Also, I have written the next two chapters so far, but won't release them until I have had a few reviews and more time to refine them! I hope you enjoy and constructive criticism would be excellent! Thanks (:


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

"Where are you going?" My mum's voice stopped me in my tracks as I reached for the door handle. I turned round to face her, and my mind raced to find a reasonable cover story.

"Umm the girls and I were planning on going round to Emily's to make sure she's okay and see if there's anything we can do…" I said, letting the sentence trail off.

"Well don't be too long. I'm sure that whilst Emily will appreciate the show of support, she will really just want to be on her own." The corners of her mouth turned down, and the slight frown made her look 10 years older.

"I'll send you a text when I'm on my way home." Was all I said in reply as I once again reached for the door handle.

I stood waiting outside the front of Ezra's apartment. The whole drive over I had been going through every scenario in my head, trying to decide how to react to whatever he was planning on telling me.

A wave of memories engulfed me as I stared at 3b, the place that held so many happy memories, and also many sad ones. I raised my hand and knocked softly on the wooden door, holding back the wave of emotions that threatened to destroy my calm exterior.

I could hear movement behind the door and then slowly the handle turned and it opened, revealing Ezra looking as handsome as ever in a pair of navy sweat pants and an old Hollis College jumper.

"Thanks for coming over," he said as he moved aside to let me pass him. As I walked into the small apartment that had become my second home over the last year, I couldn't help but feel like things had changed.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" He moved over to the small kitchen in the corner of the room, and continued talking, "I mean I don't have much bu-"

"I'm fine." I replied as I took a seat on his couch, sitting far more formally than I ever had before.

"Listen, Aria," he began, taking a seat opposite me on the small coffee table. "I've been thinking about…_us_" he emphasised the last word, leaving a small pause to let the statement sink in. "I'm not sure whether we are doing the right thing."

"What do you mean?" I asked, dreading the direction this was heading in.

"Look Aria, I would love to go out on real dates with you. To be able to kiss you in public without worrying what everyone will think. To actually be able to spend time outside of my apartment with you…" He paused again as he looked up at me. "But we have to look at the facts here. Your parents don't want us to be together. And I know it felt like we took a step forward at the ball, and people are realising that you are more than just my former student, but they doesn't mean they _accept _this."

He continued on before I even had a chance to interrupt him. "I don't care what they think, and you shouldn't either. I'm not saying this because I'm worried what they think, I'm saying this because I don't want your parents to get the wrong idea. I don't want them to think that we are flaunting this purely out of spite for them."

"Ezra just stop rambling and tell me what this means for us." I said, waving my hand dismissively as if everything he had said up until now was completely pointless.

"I think that we should take it slowly, and just go back to hanging out here for a while. Give your parents time to cool off and maybe your dad will come around to the idea of us a bit more." I breathed an audible sigh of relief.

He raised one eyebrow questioningly before asking me what the sigh was for. "I thought you asked me to come over so you could break up with me." I replied as I looked at my feet, pretending to see something interesting on his floorboards.

He gave a slight chuckle before replying, "Aria. I love you more than I could ever explain, and there is nothing anyone could say or do, that would make me feel any different." He placed his hand on the bottom of my chin and raised my head until our eyes met.

Where his fingers brushed my skin it felt like I was on fire. The heat seared through my body and I embraced its presence, grateful for the familiar feeling. Only Ezra was able to get a reaction like that from me and to be honest, it was terrifying.

"I love you too," I replied, a small smile forming on my lips. He smiled in return, before leaning in to kiss me. His lips were soft yet firm and I felt like I was home.

He pulled away from me far too early and I groaned as I reached for his jumper to pull him back in. He grabbed my hand to stop me and laughed. He turned it over, before planting a kiss on the top.

His lips lingered on my skin and he merely raised his eyes to mine. Reluctantly he stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat _now_?" He asked in a joking tone as he opened the door to the fridge. "You can have leftovers or…leftovers." He added as he grabbed a small white box from inside. It was from our favourite Chinese take-out place and almost as if on cue my stomach made a loud noise.

I got up from the couch and moved towards him, hoping to sneak up on him while he put the food in the microwave. My attempts appeared to be not so subtle though as he turned just before I reached him and caught my hands in mid-air.

I smiled at him – a real smile for the first time since the masquerade ball, and leant in to kiss him. Our lips met more passionately, and there was urgency to the kiss. His mouth desperately clashed against mine, and I couldn't think at all.

My hand wrapped around his neck to pull him closer while the other cradled the side of his face. I felt his hands move slowly down my body until they came to a rest on the top of my thighs.

My slight frame made it easy for him to lift me up, and I wrapped my legs around his torso. He spun in one easy movement and placed me on the kitchen counter, his hand sweeping to make a clear space for me.

My hands moved down until they reached the bottom of his jumper and I slowly lifted it up. He showed no resistance and merely held his arms above his head while I lifted it over.

His bare chest was exposed and I ran my fingers along it, taking in every bump and mark. Somewhere in the distance I heard the microwave beep, signalling our food was ready, but that was the furthest thing from my mind.

His hands clutched at the front of my shirt and began undoing my buttons. He pushed it off my shoulders and I shivered as his lips made their way down my neck and travelled to my collar bone.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. "I love you Aria. Promise me you'll never forget that." He pressed his lips against mine, more gently this time.

I placed my hands on either side of his face, and my thumbs traced the outline of his cheek bones. "I promise," I breathed. His mouth met mine again, and all my emotions blended together until I could only recognise one – love.

The sound of my message tone brought me back to reality and I groaned as I dragged my lips away from Ezra. Slowly I untangled my legs from around his body and slid off the counter.

"That's probably my mum wondering where I am," I sighed as I walked back over to the couch and picked up my phone.

I opened the message and felt every ounce of strength fade from my system. I tried, unsuccessfully, to hide my reaction from Ezra. His face turned into a mask of worry as he moved towards me, his eyes pleading with me to tell him what was wrong.

"I…I..I have to go," I managed to stutter as I grabbed my bag from the floor and half walked-half ran to his apartment door.

"Aria!" He called, chasing after me. "Talk to me. Please!" He managed to catch hold of my arm. "Don't shut me out. Not again." His voice was desperate and pleading, begging me to confide in him.

But I couldn't. Not with this.

"I'm sorry Ezra, I can't." He let go of my arm and I turned back and ran through the front door. The pain in his eyes was unmistakeable as he realised that even after all this time I wasn't telling him everything.

I ran until my legs couldn't go any further - until every muscle in my body screamed for me to stop. I had no idea where I was anymore but I didn't care. I collapsed onto the floor, finally letting the tears that I had been holding back escape.

My body shook violently as I sobbed and prayed to a God that I didn't believe in for this all to be some sort of sick joke. I clenched my fists and released an almighty scream.

I don't know how long I sat in that deserted alley, all I know is that somewhere between all the crying and screaming, I became numb. Eventually I dragged my body off the floor and walked out onto the street, hoping that, somehow, I would be able to find my way back home.

Three hours later I was sitting at my kitchen table, attempting to explain to my mum where I had been. She had begun to worry when I didn't reply to any of her texts or answer any of her calls, and even more so when she called Emily's parents only to find out I had never been there.

"Look mum, I just needed to get out for a while to clear my head." I said as I began to stand up.

"You went to see him, didn't you?" She didn't need to say his name; we both knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Maybe I did? It doesn't matter anyway!" I yelled at her, feeling the same wave of emotion sweeping over me. "It's over now. You and dad got your wish." I felt a tear make its way down my cheek as I walked up the stairs.

My mother remained motionless, still sitting at the table, obviously trying to decide the best way to digest this new piece of information.

As I walked into my room I slammed the door behind me and slid to the floor, my back pressed up against the cool timber. I reached into my pocket for my phone and simply typed the letters S.O.S before hitting the send button.


End file.
